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Dr Gregor Leckebusch is one of the foremost experts in the field of linking natural science research on meteorological and climatological extreme events with the estimation of natural hazards damage potentials. He played a key role in several national and international interdisciplinary projects dedicated to the assessment of natural and anthropogenic changes in extreme events and impacts of climate change to economy and society.

Biography

Dr Gregor Leckebusch studied Meteorology at the University of Cologne (Germany), where he completed his PhD on meteorological diagnostics of polar ice cores by means of paleoclimate model simulations. He subsequently worked as a Postdoc to regional extreme event modelling and impact assessment. He acted as Associate Professor from 2004 to 2010 (Habilitation 2009) at Freie University of Berlin (Institute for Meteorology) and substituted the chair of Dynamical Meteorology at the University of Leipzig (2010/2011) before taking up the post of Senior Lecturer at Birmingham.

Teaching

Teaching activities at all levels e.g. in dynamical and synoptic meteorology, polar meteorology, general meteorology and climatology, weather prediction and impact assessment, and practical meteorological observation courses. In Birmingham (MSc in Applied Meteorology and Climatology) he is leader of the modules “Meteorological Applications and Services” and “Physical Climatology”. He contributes to the module “Weather, Climate and Society”.

Research

Actual and Past Projects (Investigator or Co-Investigator)

ABBA: Accelerated Business-knowledge Bioponics ActivityIn collaboration with Saturn Bioponics Ltd, takes place in the context of an ABIA project. Climatological and meteorological conditions suitable for vertical growing systems will be investigated. Vertical growing system increase crop productivity by extending growth into the vertical dimension whilst minimising resource inputs. This project will determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of such a system in different climates and identify additional countries around the world whose climate conditions indicated that a vertical growing system would be beneficial.

VESPAVariability of extremes, its causes and predictability on decadal time scales in ensembles of climate simulations (VESPA), BMBF MIKLIPResearch Group on Decadal Climate Prediction. Funder: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

EnsDiValMBF MIKLIPResearch Group on Decadal Climate Prediction; Subproject EnsDiVal: Scientific and Technical Coordination of Module E including research activities with flagship character for the systematic data-based and process-oriented validation. Funder: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

DFG Research program “Antarctic Research, SPP 1158” (LE1865/1-1/2)The shift of Southern Hemisphere storminess under anthropogenic climate change around Antarctica and its impacts

Munich ReEvent set catalogue for the estimation of the frequency and impacts of extreme extra-tropical storms over Europe

Hessian State agency of Environment and GeologyABS-Hessen: Anthropogenic impact on the European storm climate and potential consequences for the Hessian region

Hans-Ertel-Zentrum für Wetterforschung beim DWD: WEXICOM-BerlinImproving the process of weather warnings and extreme weather information in the chain from the meteorological forecasts to their communication for the Berlin conurbatio

FU Berlin “University of Excellence special funding scheme”Centre for Scientific Simulation: Advanced Methods of Time Series Analysis and their Application to Climate Research and Insurance Risk Optimization.

Other activities

Member of the German Meteorological Society (DMG)

Member of the European Geosciences Union (EGU)

Member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Member of the CLM user community (CLM = Climate version of the Lokal-Modell of the German Weather Service (DWD))

Head of working group “Evaluation” in the CLM community

Member of the COSMO-CLM Coordination committee

Assisting Chairman of the user group committee of the German High Performance Computing Centre for Climate- and Earth System Research (DKRZ) (2002 – 2004)

External expert consulter at University of Arba Minch (Ethiopia) to establish a new study programme (BSc, MSc) in the field of Meteorology and Hydrology in accordance with the European Bologna process at the Water Technology Institute, University of Arba Minch, Ethiopia. Collaboration with DAAD and GTZ (27.08.2008 – 25.09.2008)

Radiosonde campaign at Parakou (Benin, West-Africa) in the framework of the research initiative IMPETUS (Integrative Management Project for efficient and sustainable Use of freshwater in West-Africa) (12.07.2002 – 20.08.2002)

Member of the Programme and Science Committee (PSC) of the 11th EMS Annual Meeting / 10th European Conference on Applications of Meteorology (ECAM), 12 – 16 September 2011, Berlin, Germany.

Awards

The Gordon Manley Weather Prize of the Royal Meterological SocietyThe Prize for 2008 is awarded to Professor Andreas Fink and meteorology colleagues at the Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, Cologne, Germany. London, 18 June 2008

“Andreas Fink and a variety of colleagues have CO-authored a wide range of case studies of extreme weather events over Europe that have been published in Weather since the mid 1990s. The subjects have ranged from the mid-latitude storms of January 1999 to the central European floods of 2002, the heat and drought of summer 2003 and Snow accumulation in winter 2005. Each of the resulting articles has been distinguished by a careful balance between comprehensive meteorological analysis of the causes and impacts of the weather events and a lucid and accessible written style. As such, these articles embody many of the aims of Weather.”